Diarrhoea associated with Candida spp.: incidence and seasonal variation

To study the incidence and seasonal variation of diarrhoea associated with Candida, 978 diarrhoeal stool specimens from patients of all age groups were examined by microscopy and culture. Candida spp. was the sole pathogen (unassociated with other diarrhoeagenic bacteria, protozoa, or helminths) in 15.3% of the total cases. Candida albicans (94.9%) was the predominant species isolated. The incidence was highest among the infants aged 0-12 months (37.1%), followed by a decline in the rest of the children aged less than 5 years with a second peak in the people aged over 5 years, including adults. The paediatric age group had a significantly higher incidence in the summer season compared to the rainy (p < 0.05) or winter (p < 0.01) months. Thus, there was a definite age and seasonal variation in the incidence of diarrhoea caused by the overgrowth of Candida in the Varanasi region of the Indian subcontinent.